HGPRT in the Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome

Abstract

To the Editor: Van Woert, Yip and Balis¹ report an alteration in the isoelectric focusing of the enzyme hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, E.C.2.4.2.8 (HGPRT), in red-cell lysates of patients affected with the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Because of similarities to the X-chromosome-linked HGPRT deficiency syndrome (Lesch-Nyhan), males being more frequently affected than females and some patients having a clinical history of self-mutilation,² the authors interpret their results as providing evidence that purine metabolism is abnormal in these cases.We have examined the isoelectric focusing properties of HGPRT in red-cell lysates of six unrelated male patients with the Gilles de la Tourette . . .